Book Description

I have been a Lean Management Consultant for the past decade and have been asked interesting questions by my prospects/clients. I’d have to say, the most made statement has been “Lean only works in the Automotive Industry and is not applicable to our industry…”. This misconception is what triggered me to write a book on Lean for the various industries that I consult in, i.e. one book for every industry. This book on the application of LEAN in Apparel Manufacturing, is my first foray into authoring a book. This book is an attempt to educate its readers on how to implement the practical aspects of LEAN, on the shopfloor. It begins with the dissemination of the interrelated elements of the Toyota Production System, the objective of TPS and its importance in Production Management. The concepts of LEAN and waste elimination are then explained with an overview of the Seven Types of Manufacturing Wastes. Value Stream Mapping, a frequently used tool to map the waste, has been elaborated in four chapters. These chapters explain concepts like Product Family Matrix, KPI definitions, guiding principles to design a Lean process and the construction of the ‘AS IS’ and the ‘TO BE’ Value Stream Maps. Individual chapters are devoted to the elements of TPS like 5S, Visual Management, Skill Management, Process Standardization and Single Minute Exchange of Dies. These chapters explain the concepts and their application in detail, equipping you with the required tools and techniques. The chapter on Balanced Score Card and Hoshin Kanri explains the mechanism of aligning the vision of the factory to the individual objectives. The chapters on A3 Problem Solving and Quality Management initiate the readers to a scientific methodology of problem solving. We follow up with chapters on Kanban Systems and WIP Management in order to get a sense of Pull systems. The chapter on Total Productive Maintenance lays emphasis on measurement of OEE% and the problem-solving cascade. We end this book with chapters on Shopfloor Control, sustaining a Lean culture and providing a Lean Implementation Model for Apparel Manufacturing. I would like to extend my gratitude to Deepak Mohindra, Chairman, Apparel Resources for his continued support and guidance. My wife Manali, my daughters Aishwarya & Arya and my mother Padma, have also been my constant motivators. I would also like to thank my past and current clients for implementing my advice. This book would be incomplete without mentioning Ashish Grover, who was a great support during preliminary Lean pilots on the garmenting shopfloor. This book is my tribute to him. I hope that this book creates more value for you and your organization. Wish you all the best in your LEAN journey!